Temperature sensing and fault detection for paralleled double-side cooled power modules

US10916931B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

• Tomas Manuel Reiter · Munich, DE
• Tom Roewe · Unterhaching, DE
• Inpil Yoo · Unterhaching, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 15, 2018
• Grant date: Feb 9, 2021
• Expiry date: Aug 21, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H02M1/327
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment, a method includes: monitoring a temperature difference between two double-side cooled (DSC) power modules of a plurality of DSC power modules arranged in stacks of DSC power modules; comparing the temperature difference with a first temperature threshold; detecting a cooling pipe system blockage when the temperature difference is above the first temperature threshold; and after detecting the cooling pipe system blockage, disabling gate driver circuits coupled to the plurality of DSC power modules or operating the DSC power modules in a low-power mode. Each stack includes a plurality of DSC power modules. Each DSC power module has a top surface and a bottom surface, which are each thermally coupled with one or more cooling channels of a cooling pipe system. The two DSC power modules are thermally coupled with a same cooling channel of the one or more cooling channels.